Mobilising commitment

Abstract

This chapter uses a re-examination of motivation theories as a lead into a more general discussion of the role of Organisational Behaviour and Organisational Psychology in control strategies. In particular, we wish to explore the extent to which theory and associated interventions are capable of delivering the levels of intrinsic job motivation and flexible commitment demanded by modern human resource management strategies. This parallels in many aspects the discussions of culture and control in Chapter 7. A linking theme for this chapter is provided by the model proposed by Myers and Myers (1982) of the relative degrees of managerial control available over factors ranging from the organisational to the psycho-biological.

The problem arises when managements come to believe so firmly in their so-called motivation techniques and theories that they incorrectly attribute the behaviour they see with the attitude (‘highly motivated’) they impute with the source behind that behaviour. The very term ‘motivation’ in its shopfloor context, implies that workers are not intrinsically inclined to behave in the way their managers would want. (Hershey, ‘A Practitioner’s View of “Motivation”’, 1993: 10)